Ballin'
by LaynaPanda
Summary: With the request of her teacher, Lucy became a basketball camp counselor for a month and with her not knowing a single thing about the sport, she didn't know what she was doing there. But meeting a certain baller, she learns she might be able to like the sport. "You saw that?" He pointed right at her, winking in her direction. "That one was for you." —Natsu&Lucy
1. Chapter 1

**notes:** I got this off by helping my school's basketball camp this week.

* * *

With the last bell ringing throughout the huge high school, Lucy Heartfillia took her time to get everything and leave the hell hold where she spent nine months in. She had no place to go afterwards and she really didn't mind, either. She always loved the place when it was empty, anyways. And with everyone rushing to get out, it was making it even better for her as the hallways cleared and the classrooms became empty.

"Have a good summer, Lucy!" One by one her friends would say to her as the past by.

She would return the smile and gesture, "have a great summer!" and they were gone just like that. She wouldn't see them till August and that was completely fine with her.

Grabbing the last book that was jammed in the back of her locker, Lucy shut the metal door and turned around to walk down the hallway. Walking past her history teacher, Lucy offered a wide smile and a last wave but stopped in her tracks when she heard the voice of realization and worry.

She spun around and looked at the small man. "Yes, Makarov?"

"Are you busy this summer?" He asked making her look at him with confusion. He laughed and shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. I need help over the summer of you don't mind."

"Oh... I'm not busy," she said with uncertainty. "what is it that you need help with?"

"Well, I'm doing a basketball camp starting from June twentieth till the end of July and I need one more helper—specifically a girl—and I was wondering if you could help out?"

"Basketball?" She said. "I don't know... I really don't know anything about basketball." She laughed nervously as she grabbed the straps of her backpack tightly. "I don't think I'll be much of help—"

"Nonsense!" He cut her off making her shut her mouth. "You don't even need to know a single thing to help out! So I assume I'll see you here next week once camp starts?"

"Well..." she bit her lip in wonder as she imagined all the time wasted that could go to her reading time. But then again, he was asking something of her that would only be for a month and it could give her something to do instead of reading all the damn time. Maybe this could be a chance for her before her senior year started. "alright." She sighed. "I'll do it."

"Great! I'll see you next Monday bright and early eight! Bus leaves at nine so pack well and don't be late!"

All Lucy could do was stand there frozen as she watched the tiny man walk away, a loud sigh escaping her lips.

* * *

It was too early for her. Summer started exactly five days ago and she did not want to be up at eight in the morning for something she didn't even want to do.

Why'd she even agree? She doesn't even know, either.

All she knew was that there were too many little boys running around for her own good and there was no sight in Makarov. It was just a bunch of kids here and there and not even a single counselor in sight. Was she even in the right place? Maybe it was some other camp that was supposed to be going on and she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. But why'd all these boys have basketball bags and shoes on, then?

Lucy Heartfillia did not know.

"Oh, Lucy, you actually came!" A voice behind her said making her turn and look to see Makarov wearing a red t-shirt that had _Fairy Tail Basketball Camp_ on the front and large letters on the back that spelled out _staff_. He had a baseball cap on his head and multiple kids trailing behind him, treating him like a toy. "Glad you made it."

"No problem..." she offered a slight smile.

"Good. Now, here is a shirt you could wear—you must wear it at all times. We will be boarding the bus soon and then the real fun will start!"

"Uh, sorry, but," Lucy stopped him from walking away as she held onto the shirt. "where are the other counselors?"

"Oh, they're already at the campsite! So, you'll be riding with me and the kids there!"

If she wasn't around so many kids, she would have been crying tears and tears of pain.

— **X** —

The ride there was probably the worst part of her day. There were kids throwing things and screaming—she even swears one of them put gum in her hair! They were all loud and annoying and she didn't know how Makarov was so quiet and patient with them when he was considered one of the 'meanest' history teachers in the school. He was known for his yelling and lack of patience as the high schoolers would chat away. But now, seeing him laughing and talking to every single individual kid, Lucy wonders what kind of man he really was.

When she exited the large bus where they arrived to the camp site, she had to take big gulps of fresh air as the smell on the bus so terrible.

She swears her eyebrows burned off because the smell was that bad.

The kids all excitedly ran around everywhere and some of them disappeared into such buildings, making her awkwardly stand by herself as she waited for Makarov.

She honestly had no idea what to do or knew what in the world was going on as she watched kids try to do this and that while she stood there. She didn't even know a single thing about basketball which makes her wonder why she even said yes to this stupid camp.

She could have been asleep right now or reading her lovely books she purchased coupled days ago. But looks like she'll have to wait to read those.

Noticing that Makarov somehow disappeared from where he was inside the bus and how all the kids were running towards a gym, Lucy followed the excited children to the building where she heard roars of cheers and the squeaks of sneakers squeaking across the gym. The dribbling of the ball echoed throughout the area and she wondered if it was the kids playing or maybe if it was Makarov.

"Sorry," she said as she squeezed past kids lined up against the door cheering on for somebody, trying to make it inside.

Once she did, she stood against the wall by the door, looking down at the small ones cheering loudly and jumping up and down in excitement.

They all cheered for one guy and his name was Natsu.

"Natsu! Natsu! Natsu! Natsu!"

Looking up to see who this kid was, Lucy wasn't expecting to see guys about her age dribbling around and running up and down the court. She still didn't know which one was Natsu but she had a pretty good idea as she watched a sweaty pink-haired male make amazing shots and lay-ups. What she noticed out of everything with him was the huge grin plastered on his face as he played.

He honestly looked like he was enjoying himself and with the way he was so sweaty and out of breath, he's been playing for a while now.

"Go Natsu!" A kid beside her shouted making him look behind him and look right at her.

Her eyes went wide and she pointed at the kid beside her making his eyes shift towards the kid she was pointing at to back at her, giving her a wide smirk.

"Fifteen seconds!" Somebody hollered across the gym to indicate the time making the male quickly turn away and look back at where the ball was.

Lucy watched how he easily stole the ball and ran down the court dribbling the ball loudly. The bounce of every hit echoed throughout the place and she felt the vibrations of the stomps of feet that were rushing to her side as they tried to steal the ball back from the so-called-guy Natsu.

The crowd of kids started to count down for the teams, roars of encouragement shaking up the place.

Lucy watched how Natsu ran down the gym and grabbed the ball with two hands before jumping up high, raising the ball high above his head to dunk it down the net where many kids shouted out in amazement for him. He dangled from the rim and flashed the widest grin ever making her wonder who can ever have such a nice smile.

The blonde took a step back and bump into the wall as Natsu jumped down right in front of her, startling her and the kids around her.

"You saw that?" He pointed right at her, winking in her direction. "That one was for you."

All she could do was watch him walk away leaving her wondering if basketball wasn't as bad as she thought it was.

* * *

 **notes** : YOOOOOO basketball could be actually so much fun. I was doing a basketball camp for boys 6-15 and it's actually been fun. be glad I did it bc I got a new story inspiration!

 **notes2** : I'm really tired guys. been so busy even though it summer vacation

 **notes3** : leave me a review if you guys like this and if I should continue it!


	2. Chapter 2

This was crazy. All of it. The concept of basketball, the idea of her beings camp counselor because she hated kids, and her actually finding a sport _interesting_ for once in her life. She hated sports. _Hated_ it. She hated sweating and running and doing anything that caused her to be out of breath and right now, that was what she was.

Since when has she ever found a guy hot? Like a real person instead of a fictional character? Who even was this guy?

All she knew was that his name was Natsu and he was one hell of a good baller. And he said that last dunk was for _her? Her_? Does he even know who she was? Who was he?!

Lucy, was indeed, going crazy as she stood outside and watched how kids ran here and there.

Why was she there again? She asks herself the same question again and again.

"Ah, Lucy, there you are." Makarov approached her making her turn around and look at the tiny man. "You look like you've seen a ghost. I assure you we don't have any ghosts..." he grinned wickedly. "in the mornings."

"Makarov," Lucy ignored him. "why'd you ask me to come and help you with this camp?" She asked making him look at her silently as she continued. "You know I'm not the type of person to do this. I was your student for a year and a half and you _know_ who I am. I don't know a _single_ thing about basketball or any sport for that matter! I'm a reader—I read, not play. I hate kids, I hate sports and sweating—you know I'm not the one to do this but why did you ask me to help out? Why?"

Makarov was silently as he stared up at the blonde. A minute later, he let out a loud sigh. "Lucy... sometimes, people have to come out of their comfort box and see what else there is into life."

"Makarov—"

"What is there to do when all you do is read? Go out and enjoy life. Do something new. Find something interesting and dedicate yourself into it. You're going to be a senior this year, Lucy, and I don't want you to waste your last year of high school reading all the damn time."

"I enjoy it," she argued. "it's what I do best."

"Oh, is it?" He asked as he started to walk away, an amused smile curled up on his lips. "We'll see about that."

Watching how the little man left her alone once more, Lucy ran her hands through her slick blonde hair in frustration. She already felt her body sleek with sweat and the stickiness wasn't helping either. Gnats flew around her face and she already wanted to go home.

Deciding that she couldn't just stand there and mope around all day, Lucy made her way towards the cafeteria to find out what she should do and where she should go.

She also needed to grab her bag which was with all of the kids bags. It was something she wasn't looking forward to.

Once arriving to the cafeteria where kids stood here and there trying to get themselves settled as well, Lucy noticed another female counselor that was about her age in the corner, handing out slips of paper to kids and telling them where to go. She had beautiful white hair running down her back and she seemed friendly enough making Lucy approach her, next. She had large blue eyes which could make her feel lost, her voice suddenly leaving her as she noticed how beautiful she actually was.

"Uh, excuse me?" She squeaked. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Yes," she answered, looking up at her. "yes I would mind."

Lucy awkwardly stared at her as she didn't know what to do next, wondering if she was actually serious or not.

"I'm just kidding," she finally cracked a smile. "what can I help you with? I could see you're one of us," she eyed her t-shirt making Lucy glance down as well. "are you confused?"

"Yes," she sighed. "I have no idea what to do or where to go or like where my cabin is because I just got here."

"Did master make you do this?"

"Master?" She questioned, furrowing her brows in confusion.

The woman cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I meant Makarov."

"Yes," Lucy sighed once more. "yes he did."

"He tends to do that," she giggled as she started to grab some papers and try to organize something. "you must be that new counselor he has been trying to recruit." She handed Lucy stacks of paper as well as a sheet with a huge number written on it. "This is the schedules as to what goes on and this number is your cabin number. You will be assigned to a cabin, it could be a cabin full of kids or teens, whatever your luck is. The other counselor will be wearing a similar shirt as in what you are wearing and you are welcome to engage with any of them. All of us are nice and are glad to help—oh, and we also have more male counselors than girls so try not to feel so intimidated by that." She offered a wide beautiful smile making Lucy slowly nod as she tried to absorb everything in.

She stared down at her stacks of papers until she looked back up. "What is your name?"

"I'm Mirajane," she introduced herself. "Mira for short."

"Lucy..." she smiled for the first time she got there. "just... Lucy."

"Well Just Lucy, I could get somebody to help you with your bags," she suggested but Lucy shook her head.

"It's fine. Thank you, though."

"Good luck to you, Lucy!" She waved her off as Lucy walked towards the huge pile of bags. She stood there for a good moment, trying to find her pink suitcase she brought along with her but there were so many, it could be piled underneath all of them.

"You need some help?" Somebody came over to her making her look over at the person.

It was another counselor with dark hair, a silver cross necklace dangling against his neck and a lazy smile on his face making Lucy smile slightly.

"Uh, yeah, actually," she clutched the papers closer towards her chest. "have you seen a pink suitcase around?"

The male counselor looked in thought before he started to step over the sea of suitcases and finally stopped somewhere in the middle to dig in. A minute later, he pulled out a pink suitcase and brought it over to where she was making her smile.

"Thanks so much!"

"No problem. You new here?"

"Yeah," she flushed slightly. "I'm Lucy."

"I'm Gray, nice to meet you." He leaned forward to tap her arm. "Good luck around here and if you need anything, I'll be here." He nodded towards her making her nod right back before he left to go help another kid out. It left Lucy standing there as she stared at the back of the male, smiling to herself as she found yet another nice counselor she could interact with.

Upon turning around to leave, Lucy was greeting with a scarlet-haired woman hovering over her making her almost jump out of her skin.

"I've never seen you around before," she commented, squinting her eyes to take a good look at her. "who are you?"

"I—I'm Lucy," she almost choked. "I'm new."

"Huh..." she stared down at her even more making Lucy tremble in fear. "well, don't do anything stupid and if you need anything, come talk to one of us counselors. Rules are rules and you must obey them and be sure not to do anything stupid," she said making Lucy quickly nod. "good. Now get to your cabin and get to know the kids and settle down—lunch will be served soon."

"Y—yes ma'am."

"I'm Erza by the way," she offered a warm smile as she stuck her hand out.

Lucy hesitated for a moment before reaching out to grab her hand. "Lucy."

"Welcome to Fairy Tail," she says before leaving her alone once more.

The blonde stood there for a moment as she tried to absorb what just happened, trying to figure out if she was nice or wasn't. Was that her way of being nice? It was kind of harsh but she didn't feel offended.

She's met four counselors that day and so far, they were all weird in their own way. Gray seemed like the only normal one, though.

Walking up the hill where pebbles crunched beneath her steps, Lucy looked down at her sheet of paper with the number **314** written on it and looked up to find her cabin. Kids ran up and down the place as she finally made it towards the cabins, walking up to the door to open the cheap wooden door. She was immediately dumbfounded when she saw all the young boys running around, screaming, and throwing things as if it was some kind of party. A few of them were shirtless and there were pillows and sheets everywhere making feathers fly everywhere.

She already felt sick to her stomach as she remember how Mirajane said it'll depend on her luck who she gets and getting elementary students wasn't a big celebration.

"We got a girl!" A boy shouted, pointing right at her making Lucy's eyes widen as she watched how everyone stopped and looked at her.

It made her feel uncomfortable as she offered a nervous smile. "Uh, hi guys..."

"Why couldn't we have Natsu?!" One of the kids whined making her frown.

"Natsu is so cool!"

"Did you see him playing basketball?!"

The boys completely ignored her once more as they spoke about the famous baller Natsu, the blonde feeling slightly left out. She knew they were boys and kids but they were so ruthless. They could at least be a bit nicer towards her.

"It's okay!" A kid came up to her to tug on her t-shirt. "I think you're pretty!"

"Thank you," she offered a smile. "what's your name?"

"I'm Luke!" He offered a crooked grin. "What's your name?"

"I'm Lucy," she placed a hand on top of his golden head. "nice to meet you."

At least there's one nice person around here.

Lucy let out a sigh and pulled her suitcase in, carefully squeezing past running boys and screaming kids, trying to make it to the last bunk right across the door. She almost tripped twice and her suitcase got stuck on multiple things but she finally made it without breaking a sweat and she sat herself down, her body bouncing up and down before the squeaking stopped.

The cabin wasn't as small as she thought it would be and the beds weren't as hard. There were nine boys in her cabin and there was a large table in the middle of the room which had toys and clothes all over it.

She never wanted to be with girls so desperately before.

She laid herself down and spread her limbs across the bed, a sigh flying out of her lips. She stared up at the bunk above hers and she traced the spirals, waiting for something interesting to happen. All she could hear is the cries and running of the boys as the time passed by.

Lunch was supposed to be served in twenty minutes and she really should be doing something instead of laying around but what could she do? She should really go find other counselors and see what is going on but she didn't know anyone but Gray, Erza, and Mirajane.

She wonders how old they actually are—were they all the same age as her?

Sitting back up, Lucy looked around the cabin for a while before standing up on her feet. The kids all knew what time lunch was and she didn't have to inform them at all, she really had no idea what she was doing in the cabin at all. She had no idea what she was doing there!

Making her way out of her own cabin, Lucy squinted as she bright sun blinded her for a moment. She walked down the path and made her way towards the cafeteria to see if she should be helping with anything. As she walked down, she noticed Gray, the other counselor, walking down towards the cafeteria making her run over towards him.

"Gray!"

Turning around upon hearing his name, Gray looked over to see the familiar looking blonde running towards him.

"Oh, Lucy," he offered a smile. "what's up?"

"Well since I don't know anyone or know where things are, you mind if I hang out with you a bit?" She asked, a small blush on her cheeks making him nod as he allowed her to walk beside him. "Thanks."

"No problem," he shrugged, the two walking side by side down the dirt path. "so how'd you become a counselor? You into basketball?"

"Not really. I don't know the first thing about basketball..." she laughed lightly at the face he made. "Makarov suddenly asked me to help him out and so here I am... I honestly don't know why though because I'm pretty much useless around here."

Gray frowned. "Well don't say that," he said. "you're plenty help. We have an extra counselor, that's what counts and we have like, three other counselors who don't even know how to play either so don't feel so bad about yourself." He offered another smile as he placed a hand on top of her golden head. "Don't bring yourself down because I'm sure you're a great gal."

"Thanks," she blushed at his compliment as the two entered the cafeteria.

There were kids hovering here and there and the clatter of plates and utensils filled the air. The smell of food made her stomach growl and she could already taste the deliciousness in her mouth.

"Our chef, Mirajane, is really good at cooking. Normally we have the girls in the back cooking since all of us guys suck at it," he laughed out loud making Lucy look at him in surprise. "we help clean up."

"Did you say Mirajane?"

"Yeah, you know her?"

"Yeah, I met her as I came to get my bag."

"She's super nice," Gray said making her nod in agreement. "just don't get on her bad side. Same with Erza, the red head, they'll both rip you to pieces if you mess with them." He shivered in fear just remembering the two making her look at him with wide eyes, nodding right back. "Alright, normally we have the guys sit anywhere they like and us counselors sit in the front two tables right here," he gestured at the two tables that were in front of them. "there's nine of us in total—well, ten now because you're here."

"How many girls are there out of the ten of us?"

"Uh," he looked in thought. "theres you... Mira and Erza so three? Wait, Lisanna. She's Elfman's and Mira's youngest sister." He held four fingers up making Lucy nod.

"What about guys? Who's the guys?"

"There's me," he smirked. "there's Gajeel, Loke, Jellal, Elfman, and lastly there's Natsu, the idiot."

"Natsu?" She repeated making him nod.

"You know him?"

"Not really. Like, I saw him playing basketball when I came here and that's just it."

"Well he sucks," he said making her raise a brow at him. "he's an idiot and I advise you to stay away from him."

"Is he crazy?"

"Yeah," Gray chuckled as he placed a hand on her back to give her a gentle push towards the back. "the others are even crazier. We're a crazy bunch and I'm sure you'll get used to it, soon. I'll introduce you to everyone once lunch starts."

"Thanks," she smiled as they stopped right by a window where steam rolled out from and the smell of food hit her. "is this the kitchen?"

"Yes ma'am," a new voice replied for Gray as a head popped out. "welcome to my kitchen."

"What's up, Elfman?" He leaned forward to hit his fist against his. "This is Elfman," he looked at Lucy who looked at Elfman. "This is Lucy, she's new." Gray looked at Elfman who smiled widely at the blonde making her smile right back. "Elfman is the only guy allowed in the kitchen because he can actually cook something without burning it."

"Only real men could cook!"

"And he tends to talk a lot about being manly," he laughed as he pulled Lucy away from the cook as he started to point at placed and tell her other things as well.

"The first night we always have a bond fire and the last day we do, as well. The first bond fire is where we all introduce ourselves and make s'mores and such. It's really fun,"

"Sounds fun," she nodded in agreement.

"Everything else is basically then basketball. Basketball drills, games, and tournaments. Towards the end of the camp we have tournaments and we do this counselor verses students thing and it's super fun."

"What do the girls do?"

"Watch. Set up. Anything, really. You can teach the kids but normally you guys just hover around us guys. Oh! And help the injured kids because a lot of the older guys tend to be a little too rough and then the little ones become hurt."

Nodding, Lucy started to understand what her real job was and she felt less tense. It wasn't as hard as she thought it would be and she actually looked kind of forward to it.

"All of the male counselors teach the kids and such. Plus Erza."

"She plays?" She asked in surprise making Gray chuckle.

"Oh yeah," he nodded. "she's really good. She grew up playing with us so she actually plays and teaches the kids. She's the only girl in camp that can, really."

"Really?"

"Yeah, so I was right. Three girls who can't play." He grinned at her making her smile right back.

"Do you play basketball?"

"Oh yeah," he grinned. "it's my thing."

"How long have you've been playing?"

"Let's see," he sighed as he started to think about his first time playing. "I was just seven when I started and that was twelve years ago so... yeah, twelve years."

"Wait, you're nineteen?"

Slowly nodding, Gray quirked a brow at her. "Yeah? How old are you?"

"Seventeen,"

"Damn," he whistled out loud as he leaned against the table. "you're pretty young. You don't look seventeen."

"I turn eighteen in July," she said making him nod.

"Better."

"Is everyone else here also a graduate of high school?"

"Pretty much," he nodded while shrugging. "Natsu, Loke, and Gajeel are both nineteen like me. Elfman is either twenty or twenty one and Erza, Mirajane, and Jellal are both twenty-two. And Lisanna is the youngest, well, you are now."

"How old is she?"

"Uh, she's like... eighteen? She turns nineteen sometime in the fall."

"Wow, so I am the youngest here."

"Pretty much," he cracked a smile as he placed a hand on top of her head. "it's alright. We'll all take care of you—you're one of us now, right?"

Somehow, Lucy felt warm all of a sudden as he spoke those simple words to her.

— **X** —

"Lunch is about an hour long—takes a while for things to settle down and such and dinner is always going to be at five." Gray said to Lucy as the two walked over towards the utensil place with their trays of fresh food. Lucy listened and stayed close by as he gave her advice and told her about what goes around there. It all seemed somewhat complicated but he reassured her that she would get the hang of everything. "Oh, and bed time is at eleven and the curfew is nine thirty. If Erza catches you, she would most likely kill you."

"Is Erza really that mean?"

"She's just really strict about these kinds of things," he shrugged as he grabbed a couple of napkins for the both of them before he guided her towards the counselor's table. "but in reality, she's a real sweetheart."

Nodding her head, Lucy walked beside him towards the front and stood in front of a table where three people sat, one of them she recognized as Erza.

"Guys, I want you guys to meet someone." He spoke up causing the three to look up at her. "This is Lucy and she's new."

"Hi Lucy," they all greeted her making her offer a small smile.

"This is Erza, as you know," he nodded towards the scarlet-haired woman who smiled at her. "this is Jellal, her boyfriend, and Loke."

"Must I say, you're very beautiful." Loke stood up immediately to grab her hand in his large ones and smile widely. "You're like an angel sent from above to keep me company."

"Fuck off," Gray nudged the ginger away. "don't scare her away with your flirting."

"She loves it!"

"Don't mind him, Lucy. He flirts with anything that moves," he sat down besides Loke making him pat the place next to him. "here, sit down. The others would come soon."

"Thanks," she slowly sat down beside him as Loke quickly scooted himself closer towards Gray, leaning across him.

Lucy leaned away as Loke leaned into her, a wide smile on his face.

"How old are you? You a big fan into basketball? You can be my cheerleader when I'm playing."

"Loke," Erza said making the male stop and look at the woman picking at her food. "stop."

"Of course," he quickly spun around and started eating his lunch once more making Gray snort and Jellal smile.

"Sorry," she apologized towards Lucy who shook her head.

"It's okay," she blushed at the woman in front of her. "I don't mind."

"Told you," Loke muttered under his breath making Gray nudge him on his side.

"So what brings you to basketball camp?" Erza asked making the others give Lucy a glance as the chewed her lunch. She gave it a second and finally swallowed to reply.

"Makarov asked me to help out."

"You like basketball, Lucy?" Jellal asked making her blush and shake her head slowly. "You don't?"

"Well, I don't really know. I've never really watched or even played for that matter to like it."

"So I get it that master has forced you to?"

"Master—?"

"Makarov," Gray answered her question making Lucy quirk a brow at him. "The counselors call him that around here because he's like the 'master' of the place, y'know?"

Slowly nodded once more, Lucy went back to eating as people started to slowly come to their table, making it even more crowded and louder. Gray waited for everyone to arrive before he started introductions so he didn't have to continue saying it over and over again.

But noticing that everyone was there but one guy, he started anyways.

"Guys, this is Lucy." He said catching the counselor's attention. "She's new."

"Hi Lucy!" They all excitedly greeted as Gray went by one by one to introduce themselves individually.

"This is Lisanna, the youngest," he pointed at Lisanna who flashed a beautiful smile. "she's really nice. Probably the best one out of all of us to show you the ropes."

"Nice to meet you!"

"Next to her is Mira, as you already know. Erza, Jellal, and this one is Gajeel. He's on the same boat as Natsu," he leaned to whisper against her ear. "but he's even crazier."

Lucy gasped as she looked right at the male with long hair and multiple piercings. "He's crazier?"

"Hey, who you callin' crazy, blondie?" He jabbed his fork at her direction making her eyes grow wide. "Don't listen to shit, Gray is a motherfucker."

"Watch your language," Erza scolded but the male only scowled and went back to angrily shoving food down his mouth.

Lucy didn't know what to say as Gray laughed, giving her shoulder a pat. "You'll get used to him, too." He reassured making her nod and take a sip of her drink. "Elfman is probably still in the back and the idiot is somewhere around here..." he murmured as he looked around for a pink-haired male.

As soon as he spoke about him, Natsu came and pushed Mirajane and Lisanna apart to sit right in front of Gray and Lucy. He didn't even greet anyone as he started to dig right into his lunch, most of his food being thrown out of his plate.

"And this is the said devil," Gray pointed right at Natsu who barely acknowledged anyone at all making Lucy glance at Gray and back at Natsu.

Was this really the same guy she met earlier? He seemed like a complete different person!

"Hey, flame-head!" Gray said making his head snap up and shoot the male a look. "There somebody here you forgot to meet."

"Who?" He asked before his eyes locked with Lucy making her eyes widen and stop whatever she was doing to stare. They continued their little stare-off before he grinned. "Hey! You're that girl who called my name earlier!"

"It wasn't me but... sure."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Natsu!" He suddenly stood up so fast his plate flipped over and threw itself all over Lucy.

Everything seemed like it was going in slow motion as the plate of food went right towards Lucy and everyone's eyes started to widen on fear. The hot chili cheese fries went all over her and the entire table went silent in shock as the blonde sat there covered in his lunch.

And just like that, her day went into a different direction.

* * *

 **notes** : I actually wrote this a day later after I posted the first chapter bc I really like the story!

 **notes2** : it's so hot and boring and its summer

 **notes3** : how's your summer going along guys? I'm tanning rn

 **notes4** : leave a _ballin_ ' review ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting in the middle of Lisanna and Loke, Lucy sat in silence as she roasted her marshmallow on her stick. She wore a large t-shirt that almost reached her knees and the faint smell of chili cheese fries always hit her nose time to time. And that was when she actually found out she hated chili cheese fries. But the shirt smelt nice and it was kind of warm too since it came from Natsu himself as an apology but she still was a bit angry about earlier.

First day at camp and she already wanted to go home. Who knew she would have fries thrown at her?

Pulling her stick towards her, Lucy blew out the fire on her marshmallow and grabbed the pair of graham crackers to stick the marshmallow between the two.

"Wow, Lucy, you're good at roasting marshmallows." Lisanna commented making the blonde offer a slight smile.

"You've roasted my heart and ate it as well because you have my heart in your hands." Loke leaned in to take a bite of her s'more but Lucy pulled it out of his reach before he can making him faceplant on the dirt ground. "That was very mean, Princess!"

"Princess?"

"Yes, Princess, because I am your Prince, my darling."

"Loke, fuck off," Gray pushed the male away from the blonde to sit himself between the two. "go flirt with someone else."

"But there is nobody else to flirt with!"

"I heard Lisanna wants to be flirted with."

"What—?"Lisanna cried out before Loke was by her side sprouting out line after line leaving her awkwardly curled up.

"Thank you," Lucy sighed out in relief as Gray sat down right beside her, offering a smile.

"No problem," he reached for a stick as he grabbed two marshmallows from the bag. "so, I suppose you just hate chili cheese fries and Natsu now, right?"

Flushing pink, Lucy stared down at her s'more. "I—I don't _hate_ Natsu," she muttered as she glanced up to see if the male was around. "but I do hate chili cheese fries."

Letting out a laugh, Gray pulled his stick away from the fire and blew the fire out off his marshmallow before grabbing his two crackers and placing the two white fluffs in-between. "Well, I don't blame you for hating both of them," he leaned back against his palm as he bit into his treat. "Natsu tends to be a klutz and I'll apologize again on his behalf since he's too much of a pussy to do himself."

"He's scared—?"

"Oh yeah," he finished his s'more in two bites. "that idiot doesn't know the first thing that comes to apologizing. Erza almost killed him, you should have seen it!" He grinned widely as he grabbed a marshmallow and tossed it in the air, trying to catch it with his mouth but watching it bounce off his cheek. "But he's really sorry."

"It's okay, I don't blame him for anything." Lucy nibbled on her treat as she watched Gray make yet another one. "He doesn't have to be scared of me, I won't bite."

"Yeah, well, he's an idiot and it'll probably take huge balls for him to approach you, again." He missed his third marshmallow making him frown and look at the empty bag. "I'm going to go grab another bag, you want anything?"

"I'm good, thank you." Lucy offered a smile his way before Gray stood up and left her alone, once again.

The blonde only sat by the fire watching the back of the male along with the others around. Everyone seemed like they were enjoying their first day at camp and if someone was to take a picture, they would only see her sour face sticking out on the corner. She really did want to go home—she hated the wilderness and loud screaming children and sports. She could have been in her warm cozy bed doing something productive but she was stuck doing whatever Makarov wanted her to: roasting marshmallows.

She looked and sounded pathetic.

"Hey," a voice came out of nowhere making her jump and look up to see a familiar face. "uh, mind if I sit?"

Noticing the pink hair sticking out of everywhere, Lucy slowly shook her head as the male sat himself down where Gray occupied couple of minutes ago.

"Erm, sorry about before," he awkwardly said as he rubbed the back of his head. "I, uh, I tend to do things without thinking or move too fast and things can't keep up with me and it's just," he took in a deep breath. "what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry and wow," he let out a chuckle. "you look surprised and you reek of chili fries," he scrunched his face up in disgust making Lucy flush once more, slowly lifting up the collar of the t-shirt to sniff it. "but, yeah, I never properly introduced myself," he stuck his hand out to grin lopsided. "my names Natsu Dragneel, nice to meet you!"

"I..." she paused to process everything he said. "I'm Lucy, nice to meet you, Natsu."

"But seriously, you smell," he grasped her tiny hand in his large rough ones. "I'll have gramps get you another t-shirt by tomorrow."

"No, it's okay, really. I can just wash my old one—"

"You sure?" He quirked a brow at her. "It kind of smells even though we washed it and there's this huge stain on it."

"Well, I guess not then," Lucy smiled slightly. "thank you."

"Hey it's the least I could do but I promise I'll make it up to you," he said as he looked up to see Gray who smacked the male on the head with a bag of marshmallows.

"Stop harassing the new girl even more," he scowled making Natsu scowl right back.

"I wasn't harassing her!"

"Lucy, was this idiot making you feel uncomfortable?"

"N—no, he's okay," Lucy looked at the pink-haired baller to the ink-haired baller. "we were actually just talking."

"Told you," he glared at him before snatching the bag from him. "gimme that."

"You greedy prick," Gray hissed right back, snatching it right back to peel it open and grab a handful before reaching over Natsu. "would you like some, Lucy?"

"I'm okay,"

"Give that to me!" Natsu snatched it from him to grab a handful. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath before he threw one in the air and caught it in his mouth. "that is how you catch marshmallows."

Gray rolled his eyes and sat himself down right beside Lucy, the blonde now seated between the two male counselors.

"So, Lucy, what was your favorite activity of the day?" Natsu tried to make her feel a bit more comfortable as he stuck five marshmallows on a stick at once.

"Well obviously it wasn't the moment when she met you and you threw all your fries at her." Gray spoke for Lucy making the blonde look at Natsu to see his reaction.

Natsu merely frowned and scowled at the male. "It was an accident! I didn't just throw fries on her because I wanted to!"

"But you did and it's your fault!"

"Guys..."

"Well if I did want to, I would have thrown it on you and not her!"

"I would throw it back at your ugly face!"

"Who are you calling ugly, ugly?!"

"Do you have a better comeback than that?!"

"Gray, Natsu!" A voice interrupted their bickering from behind making the three turn around. "Enough is enough. You are scaring Lucy and it's only her first day," Erza spoke, her expression hard. "stop fighting and start talking. _Nicely_."

"Y—Yes ma'am!"

"Of course!"

Turning back around to face away from Erza, Gray and Natsu both shivered as they continued their marshmallow roasting.

"She's the devil, I tell you."

"Agreed."

Glancing at the two boys beside her, Lucy could only smile as she realized that this place was more than about smelly chili cheese fries and cocky basketball players.

* * *

 _"Heheh... no, sh_!"

" _Hahah do this... yeah, be careful!"_

 _"Oh god, yeah, and this... and that... hahah!_

 _"Nngh.._." Lucy scrunched her nose up as she felt something tickle her nose and hear the giggles around her. "Stop..." she mumbled in her sleep, brushing her nose with her hand but she froze when she felt something cold and slimy. She slowly felt what was on her face with her fingers before she slowly opened her eyes and looked at her palm then what was in her face.

Coming face to face with the eyes of a reptile, Lucy's eyes widen and she let out a bloodcurdling scream so loud, all the bird flew away from their place in the trees and people all the way across the camp heard.

In matter of seconds, two counselors burst into the cabin only clad in their underwear.

"What is going on?!" Natsu was first to shout, a broom in his hands as he sported red boxers with flames licking the sides and a plain white t-shirt. His hair was sticking out everywhere and Gray was right beside him, looking exactly the same but with a drool stain going down his chin and his boxers a light blue with snowflakes instead of flames. Gray held a slipper in his hands as if that was going to hurt whatever had entered the cabin but the look in his eyes looked as if he was determined to beat whatever was the cause of Lucy's scream.

"Are you okay, Lucy?! What was the scream about?!"

"T—those brats..!" She pointed right at the smirking boys who al stood in the corner while she held the sheets close to her body while she rubbed her face. "Those brats put a slimy stupid reptile on my face!"

"A reptile? Like a snake or something?" Gray asked as the two looked to see the boys presenting a small salamander their way.

"No way!" Natsu was first to push Gray away to take a closer look. "Is that Igneel?" He looked closer to see the small black spots running down his red spine. "Hey, that _is_ Igneel! I've been looking for him everywhere!" He took him into his hands to cradle him gently. "Jeez, he just disappeared and I was so worried—!" He turned around to see Lucy and Gray giving him a look making him stop and shut his mouth. "Uh, I mean—" he turned back around to make a face at the guys. "what you guys did was terrible! You shouldn't be scaring miss Lucy like that and you all should be ashamed of yourselves!" He tried to make it sound like he was angry but he kept snickering and the side of his mouth kept twitching as if he was about to break into a grin. "Now apologize to miss Lucy!"

"We're sorry miss Lucy." The cabin said together making the blonde gulp and nod her head as she sat more comfortably in her bed.

"Now, to punish your ways, cabin 314 is kitchen duty for one week!"

Groans and whines erupted from every mouth in the cabin making Natsu shake his head as he carefully cradled Igneel in his palms.

"You guys all did something mean and this is punishment for doing that. Especially to a counselor," he looked over at Lucy to wink at her who just flushed. "now, all of you go to the shower room! It's almost time for breakfast!"

Yet another rounds of groans and whines were heard as the boys started to file out of the cabin with their towels trailing behind them.

Silently watching how every single one of them left the cabin, Gray went over to Lucy's bed to sit down and put his arm around her tense shoulders.

"You okay? I'm really sorry about that, they're a bunch of kids. I'm sure they meant no harm."

"Yeah, they're kids," Natsu joined in as he gently put Igneel down on the table. "and Igneel is harmless."

"He is disgusting," she scrunched her nose up as she watched Natsu touch and play with the salamander. "get him away from me. _Far_ away from me. I don't ever want to see him again."

"Aw, c'mon, you'll love him!" He thrusted Igneel towards Lucy making her squeal.

"No!"

"Natsu, get the hell out of here with that," Gray scowled, pointing at the door making Natsu look at him. "and while you're there, go check on the guys."

"Fine," he pouted before looking over at the blonde. "sorry, Luce, I promise I'll make it up to you!"

"Yeah, yeah," she let out a sigh as she watched the door swing open then shut with a loud snap. She listened for his loud footsteps down the stairs before he was too far for her to hear his movements. "well my day just started and I already want to go home, again."

"Look, I know it hasn't been exactly what you want it to be the past two days but I promise this isn't as bad as you think it is." Gray tried to convince the blonde who looked like she wasn't having it. "It is only the second day, it gets better!" He tried to brighten the mood as he stood up. "I swear, it does,"

"Sure," Lucy scoffed as she grabbed her pillow to place it on her lap. "like pigs are going to start flying tomorrow."

"You never know," Gray shrugged as he smirked. "I promise today will be a better day, alright?"

"It's already—"

" _Alright_?" He repeated himself making Lucy purse her lips. "You have to say it too, Lucy."

After a moment of silent staring, Lucy sighed. "Alright."

"Good, now get ready for day two of camp and breakfast! We have self-make omelets today!"

"Woo," Lucy whooped sarcastically as Gray gave her a grin.

"See you in the cafeteria!"

"Oh, Gray?" Lucy called out before he left making him pause and look at the blonde.

"Yeah?"

"You have, uh, you have a little drool stain here," she pointed at her chin making Gray slap his hand over his mouth and chin to grow pink.

"T—thanks," he muttered, embarrassed. "see you." He quickly said before he left leaving Lucy to sit there smiling to herself for a minute.

She stared at the ground for a moment before she sighed and decided to get up and start her day as well.

It might have already started but she was already wishing it would end.

— **X** —

Sitting down right between Gajeel and Erza, Lucy let out a sigh as she stared down at her tray of breakfast foods. Everyone around looked at the blonde before exchanging looks of their own.

"So, Lucy," Lisanna leaned in to catch the attention of her first. "I heard the boys put Igneel on you this morning as a wake up call."

"Yes, Ignail or iguana or whatever," she scrunched her face up in disgust. "that lizard or whatever it was."

" _He_ is a _salamander_ ," Natsu spoke up as he just came over to the table with his breakfast, sitting right in front of Lucy as Gray trailed right behind him with his own. "and _his name_ is _Igneel_ , not _iguana_ or whatever you called him and he is my _friend_."

"Oh whatever," Lucy picked up her fork to stab at her melon to pop it in her mouth. "I don't want him anywhere near me ever again."

"He doesn't want to be around you, anyways. You scared him with the screaming."

"Oh, _I_ scared him?" Lucy scoffed as she put down her fork. "That _thing_ —"

" _Igneel_ —"

" _scared me_! All slimy and gross! I don't understand how you even _look_ at him!"

"Hey, he is my friend!"

"Whatever, keep your _friend_ away from me!"

"Gladly!"

Huffing in annoyance, the two looked away from each other as if they were children in elementary school mad at each other for taking their favorite crayon color.

The entire table was hushed with awkward silence as they didn't know what to say or do next with the tension in the air between the two counselors.

The chatter of the campers and clatter of forks against plates gave the room audio but the entire table was engulfed in eerie silence.

Before Loke came along with a wide smile on his face and a bright attitude.

"Hey guys, what's going on?!"

Everyone turned to look at the ginger who was just so bright with energy making his smile drop slightly. He awkwardly looked at the counselors to notice what was going on.

"Uh... is everything alright?"

But nobody was open to tell Loke.

And just when she thought she was having a good day, she starts a fight with Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

 **notes:** hey guys! here's a chapter to BALLIN bc basketball season starts next week and I'm hella excited !

 **notes:** how are you guys? miss you all x

 **notes3:** leave me a BALLIN review ;-)


	4. Chapter 4

"The most important steps to playing basketball is having a keen eye and being quick," Natsu spoke up as he walked up and down the court where his little group of kids stood and listened. "and you must always be sure that you know what your next step is because if you're suddenly over here at the midline," Natsu walked over to where the midline was. "and shoot without knowing what your next move is and without confidence in your shot," he shot the ball making the ball hit the rim and bounce off. "you're going to miss." He reached out and bounced the ball back to him. "But if you know you're confident in your shot and you know your next move," he did a spin move and shot while jumping back. "you'll make it." He watched as the ball flew right through the net making the kids coo in amazement. "Any questions?"

All of the boys raised their hands in excitement as Natsu threw a grin their way.

Meanwhile in the corner, Lucy could only burn holes in the back of his pink head as she just felt her inner turmoil grind it's gears. Just when she starts to think Natsu was a good guy, he just goes back to the cocky asshole she originally thought he was. With that gross Igneel reptile, Lucy really wanted to leave camp even more.

But why did he have to be such a great basketball player? Why couldn't he just be one of those bench players who were so bad that they were better off being cut?

Looking away from Natsu, Lucy adverts her attention to Erza to see her teaching the kids with amazing free throws and lay-up.

If only if she was good in sports, she could maybe play, too.

"Hey, Lucy, what's up?" Lisanna suddenly came up beside her, flashing a sweet innocent smile making Lucy offer a smile back.

"Nothing much. Just cooling it... what's up with you?"

"Nothing, either. Mira-Nee is helping Elf-Nii in the kitchen and I wasn't in the mood for cooking so I came over to see what was up in here. I'm guessing you don't know how to play basketball, either."

Smiling sheepishly, Lucy shook her head. "Not at all. The only thing I know how to do is read."

"Aw, well, that's nothing to be ashamed of! I love animals," the beaut flushed slightly as she told the blonde something she was passionate about. "if I was a wizard id probably shape-shift into all sorts of animals!"

"Shape-shift into animals?" Lucy giggled at the female. "Wouldn't you rather shape-shift into objects?"

"No way! Animals are so much cooler!"

Laughing together in the middle of the court, a ball suddenly rolled towards the two girls making them look down at the orange ball before looking up to see who was asking for it.

Lucy immediately felt her stomach drop when she noticed Natsu approaching the two.

"Hey Natsu!" Lisanna called out, completely missing the aura around Lucy. "If you were a wizard, what type of wizard would you be? I want to be an animal shape-shifter!" She giggled as she handed the ball to the baller who only quirked a brow and glanced at Lucy.

"A wizard?" He echoed.

"Yes, a wizard. Y'know, with magic and all that?"

"I know what a wizard is, Lis," Natsu rolled his eyes as he placed the ball on his hip. "uh, that's easy. A fire wizard."

"Fire?" Lisanna cooed. "Why?"

"I like fire." He shrugged. "It's cool." His eyes flickered towards Lucy who flinched when she noticed his eyes on her.

She flushed and looked away from him, a small pout forming on her lips making the corners of his lips quirk upwards.

"What about you, Lucy?" Lisanna forced the attention on the blonde. "What would you do?"

"Uh," she looked at Lisanna to Natsu before looking down. "well... I'd probably be something that has to do with the stars, so maybe something like a Celestial wizard?" She squeaked, her cheeks dusted pink as she was embarrassed to say that out loud. "I mean, I don't know." She quickly shrugged her shoulders to sound nonchalant and hesitant about her choice.

But the look on Natsu's and Lisanna's face made it look like they liked the idea of her as a celestial wizard making her feel less embarrassed.

"Maybe you have keys instead of a wand," Natsu joked. "and they're named after the zodiacs."

"Maybe," the blonde shrugged as she completely dodged his gaze.

A sudden short awkward silence squeezed past them making Natsu clear his throat and start walking backwards to his group.

"Uh, well, see ya." He said before going back to his group leaving Lisanna and Lucy by themselves, again.

"Are you and Natsu still fighting?" Lisanna asked making Lucy shake her head. "Then what?"

"It's not really fighting, it's just... I don't know?" The blonde shrugged. "It's more like we don't really get along. I mean, he did throw fries on me the first time I met him."

"Honestly, Lucy, I think you two could get along if you tried. Natsu is a very nice and easy-going guy, it's easy to make friends with somebody like him! You just gotta try and lighten up," the short silver-haired one nudged Lucy on the side to imply it. "and making things awkward and moping about it won't help so go on and talk to him."

"Wait, right _now_?" Lucy asked in surprise as Lisanna went behind the blonde to put her hands on her shoulder and push her towards Natsu. "Wait!"

"The longer you wait, the worse it's going to get! You really need to get past this couple quarrel!"

"W—wait, I don't know if this is the right time! He's teaching!"

"It's alright!" She grinned while pushing Lucy. "Remember, be friendly! Have fun!" She gave a final hard shove right towards Natsu making Lucy stumble forward and fall right into the pink-haired baller making him jerk forward in surprise.

He caught himself just in time and quickly turned around to look who pushed him, a slight scowl on his face but when he noticed it was Lucy, his expression changed immediately.

"S—sorry, Lisanna pushed me into you." She murmured making him awkwardly scratch the back of his head.

"Uh, it's alright." He shrugged.

"Um, yeah," she awkwardly coughed as the two looked away from each other. "so... uh... how are you?"

"Just cooling," he almost snorted from her lack of social skills. "how are you?"

"Good... good." She cleared her throat, looking at the complete opposite direction of the male.

Another silence past by the two and Natsu suddenly wished he wasn't there, the male not knowing what to do as he squeezed the ball in his arms while his group dribbled the ball in circles.

"So, uh, you want to try shooting?" He tried to start conversion making Lucy look up at him in surprise. The look on her face made him snicker as he brought the ball into his hands. "It's not that hard, c'mon, I'll teach you." He nudged his head over to the line making Lucy follow him. "You just make sure you have a nice arch to your throw and it'll go in."

"I'm not... really good at these things, though." She looked around in hesitation.

"Anyone can throw a ball, Lucy." He said as he threw the ball in a perfect arch to have the ball make its way through the hoop and down to have it drop down and roll over to him. "I'm sure you can, too."

"I'm not so sure about that..."

"I'll teach you," he offered as he bent down and picked up the ball, moving out the way. "come here." He said making Lucy hesitantly go where he was standing. "Now here," he handed the ball to the blonde. "you just bend your knees slightly and throw the ball."

Bending her knees and nervously looking up at the net, Lucy took in a deep breath as she prepared herself to throw the ball. The hoop looked so far away and she knew she wouldn't be able to get it in the first try as the hoop just seemed to go farther away from her. Just then, she chucked the ball right at the rim making it bounce right back to her earning a squeal in surprise and Natsu quickly thrusting his hands out to grab the ball before it hit her in the face.

"Lucy," he sighed.

"I told you I wasn't good at this!" She looked away in embarrassment making Natsu huff.

"It's alright, let's do it one more time." He came right beside her to hand her the ball again. "This time, we're not going to just chuck the ball, we're going to throw it." He went behind her to grab her wrist and lift her arm.

Lucy's blush became even darker when she felt his warm hand touching her, the feeling of his rough hands brush against hers.

"So, when you throw it, you're going to have to flick your wrist like this," he showed how his wrist turned out after he throws the ball. "and it's going to have this little arch instead of it going straight at the hoop so do what I taught you and try again."

"Natsu, I don't think—"

"Less talking, more shooting." He cut her off making her frown and nervously look at the hoop which looked so far away from where she was. "C'mon, Lucy, you've got this."

Taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes for a brief moment, the blonde reopened her eyes and bent her knees slightly to rise back up to flick her wrist, the ball slowly and smoothly rolling off her palm till it made a perfect arch right to the hoop. Lucy felt nervous as she watched the ball make its way towards the hoop, a loud sound echoing the gym when the ball hit the rim before falling through into the hoop making her eyes widen.

"You did it!" Natsu shouted, a wide smile on his face. "Nice job!" He raised his hand up high for a high-five making Lucy's face grow into a smile.

"Thanks!" She high-fived him, a wide grin on her face. "You were right, that wasn't so hard!"

"Now maybe we can have a little game."

"Yeah, keep dreaming."

Throwing his head back and laughing out loud, Natsu placed a hand on top of the blonde's head to throw her a wide handsome grin.

"Sorry about this morning, Luce," he said, a slight blush on his cheeks. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Matching the pink blush on Natsu's cheeks, Lucy shyly looked up at the baller. "It's okay, I forgive you."

"Great!" He threw his arms up to wrap them around the blonde.

Lucy squealed in response as she was shoved into the warm hard chest of the baller.

"I thought you hated me, I'm glad we can get over this couple quarrel!" He said leaving Lucy to blush even harder.

Just who was telling him that this was come couple quarrel? Did he even know what that meant?

"Hey, lovebirds!" A shout across the gym made the two look over. "Instead of being lovey dovey, why don't you teach some kids basketball?"

"What did you say you damn stripper?!" Natsu pushed Lucy out the way to throw his fist in the air. "Why don't you come over here so I can wipe your ass on the court?!" He smirked at the ink-haired male who glared at him across the court. "Or are you scared that I'm going to whoop your ass, again?!"

Suddenly, Gray leaned back and chucked the ball right at Natsu making Lucy's eyes widen as the ball flew so fast across the gym she could barely keep up with it. Before she knew it, Natsu caught the ball in his palms making a loud slap occur.

"Look! Natsu and Gray are about to have a competition!"

Hearing the shout of the young boy, the entire gym went into a formation that would look like they were prepared for this. The young boys stood in the corners and sides of the gym as Natsu and Gray were the only ones on the court.

Lucy seemed like she was the only one who didn't know what was going on as she stood on the slide, looking around in complete and utter confusion.

She looked back into the court where she watched Natsu and Gray have some kind of stare-off till they started to take their shirts off, the blonde's entire face exploding into red once more as they stripped off their shirts. Their whistles and shirt was thrown off onto the sides where the boys all reached for the two items, wanting to hold the belongings of their counselors.

Then all of a sudden, a blow of the whistle set the two boys off as Natsu went running down the court, dribbling the ball by his side. Gray ran right to him, the squeaks of their sneakers screeching in the auditorium.

The game was so fast-pace, Lucy didn't know where to keep her eyes as the two boys moved back and forth, trying to steal the ball.

Before she knew it, Gray scored the first point earning a roar from the crowd.

"Gray on the lead with the score of two to zero, Natsu failing behind."

"Erza?!" Lucy cried out when she looked over to see who was commentating the game. "When did you... what are you... what is this?!"

"Oh, hello, Lucy," The red-haired baller gave a grin, the female sporting her baseball cap, red tank top, yellow shorts, and sunglasses as if she was going running outside. "would you like to commentate with me?"

"Uh, no thank you." The blonde looked away awkwardly. "I just... is this... is this a normal thing?" She looked over at the game and back at the red-head who smirked.

"Of course," she said. "Natsu and Gray always brawl it out, physically and emotionally. I just prefer it like this and so far, Natsu is on the lead." She suddenly brought out a large board that had tally marks and Natsu's and Gray's name on top. "You see here? Gray won seven games and Natsu won nine."

Lucy didn't know what to do as she awkwardly stared at the board and the scarlet-haired woman.

Just where was she and what kind of people was she around?

— **X** —

Lucy felt exhausted after a day of watching people play basketball and getting hit with a ball at least three times but she did learn how to shoot and how weird this camp really was. Everyone was just full of life and they were just so blunt about everything, she didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Holding onto her novel she packed, Lucy wandered off from the camp where the entire camp played games and relaxed a little before bed. She wasn't really interested in any of that so she just decided to leave and come back before anyone noticed.

But wandering off was a bad idea as she realized she had no idea where she was, walking down a pathway she has never seen before.

The sun was setting and she really had to find a way back but she had the worst sense of direction known to man.

Holding the novel close to her chest, Lucy looked around to check if she was near the campsite at all.

Whose bright idea was it to hold a basketball camp in the middle of nowhere?

"Geez, it's getting cold..." Lucy mumbled to herself as she was realizing that the sun was now completely gone. "I really need to get back or else I'm going to be in big trouble," she hissed to herself. "and not just with Erza."

Walking down the dirt pathway where she hoped it lead back to camp, the blonde suddenly stepped on something slimy making her squeal in surprise and disgust. Jumping away and looking down to see what she almost slipped on, she looked to see it was a reptile she stepped on.

"Not another—! Wait..." She squinted to take a closer look. "Isn't this..?"

"Igneel! Oh Igneel, you have to stop running off like that!" A familiar voice came from down the path making the blonde look up and see Natsu running down to her. "One day you're just going to—Lucy?" He stopped running to stand in front of her. "What are you doing?"

"Natsu!" She never felt so relieved to see him. "Oh, you don't know how glad I am to see you!" She stood up to hug him. "I got lost in the woods and I just never thought I would come back ever again!"

"You got lost?" He put a hand on her back. "But... camp is right there." He pointed behind him to make Lucy look back to see camp. "You've been wandering in circles."

"Are you serious?" She pulled away to look behind her to see it was literally a circle. "God, I'm so stupid." She slapped her palm against her forehead in frustration. "And to think I was lost..."

"Well, good thing Igneel came running out! Probably sensed your fear and went to find you."

"I highly doubt it," the blonde scrunched her face up in disgust as she watched him walk past her to scoop up the salamander.

He carefully placed him in his deep pocket and got rid of the dirt and dust off his hands, the male offering a grin towards the blonde.

"What were you doing out here by yourself, anyways?"

"I wanted to find a nice quiet place to read but never got the chance to because I got lost," she flushed slightly, pressing the book against her check even tighter. "but I guess it's too late, now. Maybe next time."

"It's not too late," he said. "c'mon, I have this secret spot that's perfect for some alone time." He held out his hand towards her making her eye his hand in hesitation. "Trust me, we won't get lost or anything."

Glancing back to camp and at the outstretched hand of the male, Lucy reached out and grabbed his large hand in hers making him grin even wider.

Natsu pulled her down the pathway, deeper into the forest as he went through cuts and branches till they made it not too far down where there was an open field. The moon was large and bright making the small stream ahead glisten and it was very calming with the crickets chirping and the sounds of the stream water flowing through. Lucy never found anything so majestic as she was brought to an area where it looked like it came from a fairy tale novel.

If only little fairies came out, she would be convinced it was fake.

"I only know of this place and I come here whenever I want to think or be alone. You can come here and relax whenever you want to," he offered as he watched Lucy walk ahead of him. "just don't tell anyone about my secret location."

"I would never," she whispered. "this place would be a shame to ruin with other people."

"My thoughts exactly." A bright smile came to his face. "Come on, I'm not done, yet." He walked towards her to grab her hand and pull her. "I brought this little hammock and pulled it up over here," he pulled her near the stream to push a pile of leaves away to present the hammock. "I made it." He grinned proudly making Lucy gawk at it in amazement. "Here, get on it. You can see the sky pretty well from this view." He climbed on first, kicking off his sandals while at it.

He extended his hand out to the blonde once more and she grasped it without a second thought this time, taking her flip flops off and sitting in the hammock which rocked slightly.

She immediately looked up and took in the view of the stars that were painted in the sky, the bright shining orbs twinkling nicely.

She's never seen anything like this before, her eyes wide in wonder.

"Man, you do really like stars, don't you?" His voice brought her back to earth making her look over at him and blush. "I can tell by the way your eyes sparkle when you look up."

"Y—yeah... I do." She said in embarrassment. "They're cool, aren't they?"

"I guess so," he shrugged as he leaned back against the hammock. "I'm more into fire."

"Stars are basically balls of fire, you know."

"Then I guess I like stars, too." He laughed making Lucy giggle with him. "What made you like stars so much?"

"My mom used to be this celestial expert and we used to go out every night, whenever there were stars out, and just lay on the grass and look up. She taught me everything about them to the Big Dipper to the atomic bounds." She said as fiddled with her shirt in nervousness. "And now I still look up whenever the stars are out and trace the ones I know and just star-gaze." She looked back up making Natsu look up as well.

"I used to do that with my dad, too." Natsu said. "We would come out and look at the stars and then make a camp fire. He was a pyromaniac and so am I, we loved fire. He was a fireman and I think I'll become one, too." He scooted over slightly as Lucy laid down beside him. "I guess we're kind of like the same."

"I guess we are," Lucy giggled as she felt a warm feeling surround her insides.

To think she would be spending her night next to Natsu talking about their life, stargazing.

Again, she wasn't sure if she was liking the camp or hating it, anymore.

But for now, she likes it.

* * *

 **notes** : blizzard of 2016, you can kiss my ass.

 **notes2** : I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I was kinda slumped on this..

 **notes3** : leave me a lovely review while you're at all!


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